According to the Sun Sentinel, Rep. Ross Spano, who sponsored the bill, cited unspecified research documenting porn’s effect on romantic relationships, mental and physical health, and sexual behavior.

“Whether it is the link to human trafficking, the link to increased domestic violence, or the changes it causes in one's mental and emotional state, it is a discussion we need to have as leaders, however uncomfortable it may be,” Spano told the Christian Post back in November.

In light of the Parkland shooting last week, Spano's declaration prompted an uproar on social media, with many questioning the legislature's priorities. But regardless of where you fall on the gun control debate, the measure does beg the question: does porn really rise to the level of a “public health crisis”? And for that matter, is it even harmful to begin with?

The short answer: nope, and probably not.

Congratulations, Florida Legislature. For voting to not even DISSCUSS OR DEBATE assault weapons and on the same day declaring that porn is a public health risk.

And while on the topic of porn, how exactly are we a “public health concern” we test every 14 days and have a far lower rate of std’s & sti’s then the general public...Florida might want to reexamine themselves before coming after an industry that is operating legitimately

It’s worth noting right off the bat that the decision to label porn a public health crisis is more of a symbolic gesture than anything else. As CNN has previously reported, a public health crisis is usually prompted by "an unexpected and threatening event requires an immediate response,” per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); porn ticks neither of those boxes. (Logging onto Pornhub or xHamster obviously doesn’t pose an immediate danger to your life, though it might pose a danger to your browser.)

It’s also worth noting that while aspects of Spano’s argument might seem extreme — watching porn is really linked to increased domestic violence? Really? — there is research to back up some of his claims. Some studies have demonstrated that watching violent pornography negatively influences men’s views of women, or that viewing hours of online porn can rewire structures of your brain. Subreddits like r/nofap are full of horror stories from men about how online porn addiction has ruined their lives.

“Some of it is misrepresenting data really overtly, and some of it is misunderstanding science."

But according to neuroscientist and researcher Nicole Prause, PhD., who has studied the effects of porn on the brain, the overall argument that porn has a negative impact on people’s health involves “a lot of smoke and mirrors.”

“Some of it is misrepresenting data really overtly, and some of it is misunderstanding science,” Prause tells Men’s Health.

When anti-porn politicians cite studies pointing to porn’s negative effects on the brain, she says, they tend to avoid citing actual peer-reviewed in medical journals. Instead, they select evidence engineered to suggest a correlation between porn and problematic habits, such as church-sponsored surveys or studies that don’t control for bias, such as a 2002 study that pulled data from an online forum for women who believed their husbands were compulsive porn viewers.

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Further, the argument that porn is as addictive as alcohol or cocaine is questionable at best. Prause’s own neurological research, for instance, demonstrates that porn does not have the same effect on the brain as addictive substances do. There's also research to suggest that the cultural stigma associated with porn is far more harmful than porn itself, particularly in religious communities. People who identified their own porn use as problematic didn’t watch more of it than the average viewer, a 2014 study found, but they were more likely to be religious or harbor conservative views of sexuality.

Indeed, wherever the war on porn is waged, it’s usually hand-in-hand with either religion or politics. In 2016, Mormon-majority Utah declared porn a public health crisis; lawmakers in Tennessee, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Virginia have attempted to do the same in their states, prompting Prause to speculate if such politicians are just “grandstanding for their constituents.” Even the 2016 Republican party platform targeted porn as “a public health crisis that is destroying the life of millions.”

“It’s easy to rally the base around something like pornography."

The decision to make porn a public health issue is more political than anything else, says Mike Stabile, the director of communications for the adult industry’s trade association, the Free Speech Coalition. After all, even if a political party is divided on other issues, pretty much everyone can agree that porn is unsavory at best, or “dirty” or “disgusting” at worst — even if statistics clearly show that most people enjoy it behind closed doors.

“We see it as a way in which the groundwork is being laid for a larger crackdown on adult [content],” he told Men’s Health.

In Florida specifically, the porn-as-public-menace measure has been in the pipeline for a while. But given the fierce battle waging over gun control right now, Stabile speculates that the House’s introduction of the porn legislation is nothing more than a mere distraction.

“It’s easy to rally the base around something like pornography, which doesn’t have a lot of natural allies,” he said. “[It] gives your party something to fight against.”

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